First and foremost, we hope you all have been well amidst the changes the past several months have brought. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest our country has faced being at the forefront of every news program day in and day out, we know that it can be a lot to process. People’s hearts are heavy, their minds are burdened, and their spirits are low. With that being said, we at Hands of Esperanza would like to highlight some good news in the hopes of brightening your day. As many of you may know by now, we have been monitoring the impact brought about by the current viral pandemic in Guatemala and made the very difficult decision to postpone our annual August mission trip as a result. While we are all coping with this disappointment, we have still been working diligently behind the scenes to achieve the fundraising goal in order to begin construction of our multi-specialty medical clinic. We are very excited to have surpassed our halfway goal and are gaining in on that end goal of $150,000 each day with your help!
Amongst our ranks we have three noteworthy individuals whom we fondly call the Hands of Esperanza Interns that are helping us reach this goal. These interns are from the Nova Southeastern University Orlando Class of 2020 PA Program that graduated this past weekend! It is with high regard and pride that we congratulate Melissa Falzon, Danny Hendricks, and Jaime Rodriquez on this monumental accomplishment. We wish them luck on their boards as they continue to study, and are delighted to welcome them into this profession as our new colleagues. All of our interns attended the August 2019 Medical Mission Trip and sought to continue working with our organization after they returned home. After seeing their passion for medicine and the people of San Cristobal, we were delighted to have them join the team as our inaugural class of interns.
Melissa was an intern focused on fundraising strategies and implementation. After graduation, she will be working in the ER in a emergency medicine fellowship program designed to equip her with the tools required to handle the variety of patients she will see upon completion. Danny has been working on grant writing aimed at allocating funds and resources for the clinic and other projects we are working on as an organization. He was also accepted into a fellowship training program focused on dermatology, which he intends on specializing in as a PA. Jaime has been interning alongside the medical supply team acquiring the resources needed for the annual mission trip as well as for the clinic upon its completion. She intends on going into a general area of medicine, such as internal medicine, but she is open to all the possibilities the medical field has to offer.
Once again, we would like to congratulate our incredible interns and future colleagues. We would also like to deeply express our gratitude for their commitment to Hands of Esperanza and the people of Guatemala while they were students during 27 months of the most grueling graduate level coursework one can endure. We would also like to remind you, our friends and donors, that amongst this uncertainty that we are steadfast in our resolve to bettering the access to healthcare for the people of Guatemala. However, in order to reach our goals we need continued support from our donor network. How can you help? You can donate funds or supplies towards the construction of the clinic, attend one of our virtual fundraising events via Zoom, or even just spread the word about Hands of Esperanza’s mission through social media or word of mouth. We greatly appreciate any and all contributions made on our behalf.
In terms of the pandemic, we know there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and we wish to be this light to the people of Guatemala in these dark times. Events like this are reminders of why there is such a need for this clinic in communities such as ours where health resources are scarcer than we could ever fathom on our own soil. Thank you again for your continued support and congratulations to all graduating PA programs in the class of 2020!
-Kurtis D.
Melissa F. performing an abdominal exam!
Danny H. listening to the lungs of young boy!
Jaime R. embracing the beauty of Guatemala!